Tea can open your ability to savor. Savor the moment. Savor a sensation. Savor a taste. Savor a feeling. As tea prep is a process there are many steps along the way where you can practice the art of the savor. I have been practicing with puerh tea. I think it is a great choice because of how many steepings it can take and how the experience morphs through the steepings.

Here are some questions you can ask throughout the experience of making your tea to deepen your awareness of the tea, of the moment and of yourself.

It begins with the dried leavesWhat do they look like?There is a great joy in learning to differentiate the look of a Chinese green tea in comparison to a Japanese green tea for example. Get friendly with the leaves. Are they broken? Twisted? Rolled? Powdery? Long? Short? Flat? Wide? Do they look like a bunch of bug legs in your cup? (seriously, there are many teas referred to as 'spider leg')What color are they? Greenish? Teak-colored? Dark brown? Black? Mixed?Do they remind you of anything? An insect? Another plant? A feeling?

What do they smell like dry? This is one of my favourite things. The differentiating of types of tea by their scent. Like perfume, each tea region and type of tea are so very different.Are the leaves earthy? Floral? Fruity? Vegetal?Do the scents cause any memories or feelings for you?The steeping teaHow does the color develop? Is it green? Yellow? Amber? Red? Dark Brown?What aroma is released from the time the water hits the leaves through to the end of steeping time? Is there any sense memory from the aroma? (Does it take you back to that time on the beach when...)

Then the steeped leafWhat do the wet leaves look like? Do the leaves unfurl? Expand? How has their color changed? What about their aroma? What scents are there that were not present in the dry leaf?The tasteWhat is the first flavour when the tea hits your tongue? Does the flavour change as it rolls to the back? How about after? If you slurp to aerate the tea does that change the flavour? Does the experience change with subsequent sips?If this is a tea you have had before is this experience any different than the previous one? Is your palate sensing a greater array of flavor? Did you eat garlic before having this and it is totally messing with your tongue? (If so I recommend using one of these)

The effectHow does the tea make you feel? Energized? Mellow? Both? Did you get a tea high? Is your tongue buzzing? Do you just feel better?Keep record of your tastings

Keeping a tea journal is a great way to build your knowledge of tea and your preferences. You can do this with a basic notebook, but there are some great tea journals out there designed specifically for the tea lover. I have one from TeaSource that is handy and portable. You could even use multiple, one for each tea type you explore.

Tea is a great tool of focus. A moment to appreciate. To reflect on all the energy that went into the tea's creation. To reflect on the memories over a cup of tea. To feel the comfort of it. To expand your experience.

To savor life, lovelies. Every crazy, beautiful, freakish, roller-coaster step of the way.